EPA Grants - Environmental Funding Guide 2026

About the Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA distributes billions in grants annually to support environmental protection, community health, and sustainability initiatives. Unlike many federal agencies, EPA has significantly expanded its grant-making capacity in recent years through the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided unprecedented new funding for environmental justice, climate resilience, and clean energy programs.

EPA grants are available to nonprofits, tribal governments, local governments, universities, and in some cases, for-profit small businesses. Environmental justice communities - communities disproportionately burdened by environmental pollution - receive priority in most programs.

Environmental Justice Programs

Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Grants

One of EPA's most accessible programs for community organizations. Funds collaborative approaches to addressing local environmental and public health problems in underserved communities. Awards typically range from $100,000 to $1,000,000. Nonprofits and community-based organizations are the primary recipients. The key requirement is a genuine collaborative partnership with other community entities - government agencies, businesses, or other nonprofits.

Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) Program

Funds state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies to address environmental justice issues in their jurisdictions. Grants range from $100,000 to $1,000,000. Requires coordination with affected communities.

Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

A newer, large-scale program created under the Inflation Reduction Act. Distributes funding through intermediary organizations that then sub-grant to community-based organizations in underserved areas. If your organization is small or new, applying for sub-grants through an intermediary may be more accessible than competing for direct EPA awards.

Brownfields Programs

Brownfields are properties where the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants complicates expansion, redevelopment, or reuse. EPA's Brownfields program helps communities assess and clean up these sites.

Brownfields Assessment Grants

Funds environmental site assessments (Phase I and Phase II) for brownfield properties. Up to $500,000 per grant (up to $1 million with a waiver). Eligible applicants: states, tribes, local governments, and nonprofits. Communities do not need to own the brownfield property to apply.

Brownfields Cleanup Grants

Funds the actual cleanup of contaminated properties. Up to $500,000 per site. Eligible applicants must own the brownfield. Requires a 20% cost-share (which can be reduced for small or low-income communities).

Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grants

Capitalizes revolving loan funds that provide cleanup financing in a community. Larger awards ($1,000,000–$2,000,000) for entities capable of administering a loan program.

Water Infrastructure Programs

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA)

Provides low-interest loans for large water infrastructure projects. Minimum project cost of $5 million ($2.5 million for small communities). Primarily for utilities, water authorities, and governments - not nonprofits.

Small and Disadvantaged Communities Grants

Funds technical assistance to small, rural, and disadvantaged communities for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvements. Flows through EPA regional offices and state programs.

Clean Air and Climate Programs

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Grants

Funds replacement or retrofit of diesel engines - trucks, buses, construction equipment, marine vessels, locomotives - with cleaner alternatives. Available to nonprofits, governments, and tribal entities. State revolving grants are also available through state DERA programs. A rare program where a concrete, quantifiable emissions reduction directly drives your project's competitiveness.

Clean School Bus Program

Funds replacement of older diesel school buses with electric or clean-fuel alternatives. Awards to school districts and tribes. Funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with $5 billion total allocation. Applications are highly competitive.

How EPA Grants Are Structured

EPA distributes grants through 10 regional offices, each serving a group of states. Some programs are applied for nationally through Grants.gov; others are administered at the regional level. Check with your EPA regional office (epa.gov/aboutepa/regional-and-geographic-offices) for programs that have regional application processes.

Most EPA programs prioritize communities with documented environmental justice concerns - areas with high pollution burdens, low-income populations, communities of color, and tribal lands. The EPA's EJScreen mapping tool (ejscreen.epa.gov) can help you document your community's environmental justice indicators in your application.

Tips for EPA Applications

• Use EJScreen: Document your community's environmental burden percentile rankings. High EJScreen scores - showing your community faces disproportionate pollution - strengthen every environmental justice application.
• Show community partnership: Most EPA programs favor applications with genuine community engagement. Letters of support from community groups, government partners, and affected residents carry real weight.
• Quantify the environmental outcome: EPA reviewers want to know: how many pounds of pollutant will be reduced? How many households will get cleaner drinking water? How many acres will be remediated? Make your environmental outcomes specific and measurable.